Spiraea plant named ‘Golden Carpet’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of Spiraea plant named ‘Golden Carpet’, characterized by its compact, and low mounding plant habit; dense and bushy growth habit; and small yellow-colored leaves.

BOTANICAL CLASSIFICATION/CULTIVAR DESIGNATION

Spiraea×bumalda cultivar Golden Carpet.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Spiraeaplant, botanically known as Spiraea×bumalda, and hereinafter referred toby the cultivar name Golden Carpet.

The new Spiraea is a product of a planned breeding program conducted bythe Inventor in Boisbriand, Quebec, Canada. The objective of thebreeding program is to create compact Spiraeas with unique leafcoloration and few to no flowers.

The new Spiraea originated from a cross made by the Inventor of aproprietary Spiraea selection identified as code number G-DW-80-48, notpatented, as the female, or seed parent, with a proprietary Spiraeaselection identified as code number G-DW-80-106, not patented, as themale, or pollen parent. The new Spiraea was first observed in 1982 andwas selected in 1984 as a single plant from the resulting progeny by theInventor in a controlled environment in Boisbriand, Quebec, Canada, onthe basis of its yellow-colored foliage.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken in acontrolled environment in Boisbriand, Quebec, Canada since 1984, hasshown that the unique features of this new Spiraea are stable andreproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the cultivar Golden Carpet have not been observed under allpossible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment and culture such as temperature, lightintensity and daylength without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Golden Carpet’. These characteristicsin combination distinguish ‘Golden Carpet’ as a new and distinctcultivar:

1. Compact, and low mounding plant habit.

2. Dense and bushy growth habit.

3. Small yellow-colored leaves.

Plants of the new Spiraea differ from plants of the parents and thecultivars Green Carpet, U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No.10/036,936 filed concurrently, and Sparkling Carpet, U.S. Plant patentapplication Ser. No. 10/036,937 filed concurrently, primarily in foliagecolor.

Plants of the new Spiraea are similar in foliage color to plants of theSpiraea ‘Gold Mound’, not patented. In side-by-side comparisonsconducted in Boisbriand, Quebec, Canada, plants of the new Spiraeadiffered from plants of the cultivar Gold Mound in the followingcharacteristics:

1. Plants of the new Spiraea were more compact than plants of thecultivar Gold Mound.

2. Plants of the new Spiraea were more freely branching and bushier thanplants of the cultivar Gold Mound.

3. Plants of the new Spiraea had smaller leaves than plants of thecultivar Gold Mound.

4. Plants of the new Spiraea produced no or only a few flowers whereasplants of the cultivar Gold Mound produced numerous flowers.

Plants of the new Spiraea are also similar in foliage color to plants ofthe Spiraea ‘Golden Princess’, not patented. In side-by-side comparisonsconducted in Boisbriand, Quebec, Canada, plants of the new Spiraeadiffered from plants of the cultivar Golden Princess in the followingcharacteristics:

1. Plants of the new Spiraea were more compact than plants of thecultivar Golden Princess.

2. Plants of the new Spiraea were more freely branching and bushier thanplants of the cultivar Golden Princess.

3. Plants of the new Spiraea had smaller leaves than plants of thecultivar Golden Princess.

4. Plants of the new Spiraea produced no or only a few flowers whereasplants of the cultivar Golden Princess produced numerous flowers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying colored photograph illustrates the overall appearanceof the new cultivar, showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in thedetailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors ofthe new Spiraea.

The photograph comprises a side perspective view of a typical three-yearold plant of ‘Golden Carpet’ grown in an outdoor nursery in Boisbriand,Quebec, Canada.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart except where general terms ofordinary dictionary significance are used. Plants grown in an outdoornursery under full sunlight conditions and commercial productionconditions in Boisbriand, Quebec, Canada for about three years were usedfor the following description.

Botanical classification: Spiraea×bumalda cultivar Golden Carpet.

Parentage:

Female parent.—Proprietary Spiraea×bumalda selection identified asG-DW-80-48, not patented.

Male parent.—Proprietary Spiraea×bumalda selection identified asG-DW-80-106, not patented.

Propagation:

Type cutting.—Terminal cuttings.

Time to initiate roots.—About 21 to 28 days at 20° C.

Time to produce a rooted cutting.—About 5 to 8 weeks at 24 to 28° C.

Root description.—Fine, fibrous.

Rooting habit.—Freely branching.

Plant description:

Form.—Compact perennial deciduous shrub; dense and low mounded planthabit. Freely branching; lateral branches potentially forming at everynode.

Plant height.—About 20 cm.

Plant diameter.—About 38 cm.

Vigor.—Vigorous.

Lateral branch description.—Length: About 6.9 cm. Diameter: About 0.9mm. Internode length: About 8 mm. Strength: Weak. Texture: Glabrous.Color: 177B.

Foliage description.—Leaves simple, alternate, generally symmetrical.Length: About 3.1 cm. Width: About 1.4 cm. Shape: Lanceolate. Apex:Acute. Base: Acute. Margin: Serrate. Texture, upper and lower surfaces:Smooth, glabrous. Venation pattern: Pinnate. Color: Developing foliage,upper surface: 10A to 13C; 144B along veins. Developing foliage, lowersurface: 13C. Fully expanded foliage, upper surface: 153D. Fullyexpanded foliage, lower surface: 153D; 147C along veins. Venation, uppersurface: 2D to 4D. Venation, lower surface: 153D. Petiole length: About2.1 cm. Petiole diameter: About 0.7 mm. Petiole texture: Smooth. Petiolecolor: 153D.

Flower description:

Flower type and habit.—Few to no flowers. Small single flowers arrangedin corymbs; flowers face mostly upright. Flowers self-cleaning.

Natural flowering season.—June to September in Quebec, Canada; floweringsporadic.

Flower longevity on the plant.—About four days.

Fragrance.—None detected.

Inflorescence diameter.—About 2.1 cm.

Inflorescence height.—About 1.9 cm.

Flowers.—Quantity per inflorescence: About 14. Appearance: Rotate,five-parted. Diameter: About 6.6 mm. Depth: About 2 mm.

Flower buds (showing color).—Length: About 2.3 mm. Diameter: About 1.7mm. Shape: Oblong, rounded. Color: 62C.

Petals.—Quantity per flower: Five. Length: About 2.5 mm. Width: About2.3 mm. Shape: Rounded. Apex: Rounded. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Entire.Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth. Color: When opening, uppersurface: 58D; towards margins and veins, 54B. When opening, lowersurface: 63D; towards margins, 54A to 54B. Fully opened, upper surface:62B; fading to 62D with subsequent development. Fully opened, lowersurface: 62C.

Sepals.—Quantity per flower: Five. Calyx length: About 1.4 mm. Calyxdiameter: About 1.6 mm. Shape: Deltoid. Apex: Acute or slightlymucronate. Margin: Entire. Texture: Upper surface, glabrous; lowersurface, slightly pubescent. Color: Upper surface: Towards base, 151A;towards apex, 152B. Lower surface: 152C.

Peduncles.—Length: About 9.7 mm. Diameter: About 0.7 mm. Angle: About47° from the stem. Strength: Flexible, moderately strong. Color: 146D.

Pedicels.—Length: About 3.7 mm. Diameter: About 0.4 mm. Angle: About 47°from the stem. Strength: Flexible, moderately strong. Color: 144A to144B.

Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Quantity per flower: About 26. Anthershape: Bi-lobed. Anther length: About 0.5 mm. Anther color: 63D. Pollenamount: Moderate. Pollen color: 155C. Pistils: Quantity per flower:About four or five. Pistil length: About 2.7 mm. Stigma shape: Slightlyclub-shaped. Stigma color: 145D. Style length: About 1.1 mm. Stylecolor: 49D. Ovary color: 145D.

Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit production has not been observed.

Disease pest resistance: Plants of the new Spiraea have not been notedto be resistant to pathogens or pests common to Spiraea.

Weather tolerance: Plants of the new Spiraea have been observed to betolerant to rain and wind.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Spiraea plant named‘Golden Carpet’, as illustrated and described.